2012 Hyundai Accent - Page 1 Review

Families looking for great fuel economy in a tidy package have a new vehicle to consider this year. The 2012 Hyundai Accent has been completely revamped, and now it's a close competitor for the likes of the Honda Fit and Nissan Versa.

The Accent's a tweener: like those cars, it's priced like a subcompact but is defined by the EPA as a compact car, which means more passenger and cargo space than vehicles like the Toyota Yaris, Mazda2 and Ford Fiesta, not to mention the diminutive Fiat 500.

We're giving the Accent a rating of 7 here at FamilyCarGuide. It's bigger than just about everything at its price point, and its fuel economy leads the way to lower gas bills, too. That's a formula that's worked exceptionally well in the company's new Sonata and Elantra sedans, and it hits the same highs here.

For now, the Accent's crash-test ratings are unknown, though. Neither the NHTSA nor the IIHS has tested the Accent yet. However, the new sedan and hatchback still get credit for standard curtain airbags and newly standard stability control, which is required in all cars for the 2012 model year. Bluetooth is available on most Accents, and we recommend buying it as a safety feature. Active headrests are standard, but the Accent doesn't offer a rearview camera.

The Accent has grown significantly in this year's transformation. The interior's vast, and it elevates the car into a new niche alongside the Fit as the biggest, least-expensive cars you can buy. The tallest of passengers will have plenty of head and knee room in the Accent's front seats, though both are trimmed a bit in the back, especially in the sedan model. We prefer the hatchback for its flexibility--it tops the sedan by almost 8 cubic feet of interior space--but in either version, you'll find a huge glovebox, big bins and cupholders, and a useful tray for music players sitting just beneath the available USB port.